Footwear



Patented. Mar. 14, 1939 V"FOOTWEAR This inventionrelates'r to improvements' in footwear. *ff l, l Y K MMOIB Particularly?, itLp'r'ovides improvements in heelstructures for shoes andv slippers, wherebys. i 7,- heels 'l may be more readily-'and practicably made 4inany ofthe wantedy general'types `and styles, and vwith'igreater choice as to ultimate 'aesthetic'r effect, as` compared withpre'seritv practices. j It is amongthe objects of theinverition tdpro- A107 `vide .for the making of -heels in any desired genY e eral-type or style byfassembling` pre-,formed and e p're-nishedfheel-units; so that finished surfaces of a plurality` offzsuperimposed units'provi'de a composite finished surfacemfheeL jl5 Another'oliject,'s tcprovideforthepracticablef` and economical iinishingof edges -of the heel f L- which; in the unityconstruction of theinvention',

canprovide a 'practicabl'y stable, softly resilient heel.

It lis, moreover, an important feature that my i improved heels may be madeandbecOmbined.i with upperand outsoleat `costs which Lcompare' i favorably with costs to produce competingshoes and slippers of equalgradebut without the fea- Y tures andvadvantagesfof the invention.

' f The mentioned'objectsv and results' may be at- Y tained by forming suitably thick sheet-form heel n units.A of any of various materials, which may be r leather,;rubber, wood, felt or any other fibrous "or composition material having .sufficient body and stability to serve in aheel structure as herein described. According to the invention a plu-- `rality ofthe units are assembled to form a heel, v and each unit is ,pre-shaped to the desired crosssectional shapefof the heel at the region which will be occupied by the unit; andedges of each unit are -pre-nished so that, when the units are superimposed one upon another,` a composite finished surface of heel results, with prominent groove at each line of cleavage of units.- y

4 In a preferred form of the invention, the heel units are `formed of inexpensive matted bre ma- J terial, and each unit has its edges, 'which' would beexposed, finished and stabilized by a fabric binding which, besidescovering the edges, extends inward alittle over the margin of upper and under faces ofthe unit, and is there secured to the fibrous material.' vThe binding of edges maybe made `to produce a slight lor a prominent f j t rounding ofthose'edges to `attain different effects ,Y u `when ak plurality of the'units are .assembled tomaten 'I Application June'1'0j1938gf Serial No. 212,898 i` f 9 claims.` (c1. steaml gather. Arigijci'ifererit'eios orv shades of binding ori differentunits canbecombined to attain various additionaldecra'tive effects. x

The securing together of ,units-may' be'by any l well known device. jIn thecase of matted fibrous 5,-

materialthe units may be stitched together conveniently and effectively, but" I prefer to kjoin them V'by cement or other adhesivewhichf has a stabilizing 'effect vupon thev composite mass.rv However, inthe case of high o'r'fmediumhigh 10 heels, a mechanicalstiener 'mayextend across the fcleavages of'. units. 1'*

.It is intended thatfthe. patent shallf cover, by suitable` expression inY the :appended I claims, whateverfeatures tof, patentabler noveltyv existin 15 theinvention,disclosed. A I

,Inheaccompanying drawing: 1 .i i, i

Figure l' is a sidevelevation of a shoe embody` ing features of the!invention;v l f i 1 Figure 211s a' top plan of the shoe of Figure le20 with the upper and insole removed; v

Figure `3 is anv elevation in medial yertical lsection -`throughthe shoe of Figure\1;vv

' Figrefii is a perspective of the wedge yheel and arch support'of Figures 1-3;. and 25 I Figure 5 is an elevation showing the iivrvention emmen-ed ma dinerent sty1e of heer Referring vto the drawing; the shoe supper l0: may be considered as representative of shoe and Aslipperf-'uppers in general, inasmuch as'th'e Vin- 30V ventionis'not limited to'an'y'particular type or style kof upper. Q

In Figures 1-4,4the invention is portrayed as embodied in what conveniently may be termed a wedge type heel, whose use in shoesis char- 35 `acterized byextension of the heel under the arch of the foot, and b'y its requirement that the outsole shallbe approximately flat from tip of toe to backof heel. Sucha wedge type of heel, in its broader aspects, is not claimed as my inven- 40 tion, but( only those structural features, as described herein,l and as dened in the appended claims, which are applicable to thewedge type of heel as well as to other common types and styles. t i `4,5

According to the invention, the' heel is constructed of heel units' I2 each of which may be individually and preliminarily shaped to combine with other units in making any particular type or style of heel. 50

In theV case of awedge heel, as shownin Figures 1-4, the units extendv forward to provide support at I3 for the arch of the foot, each unit.

unitpsomewhat shorter than the under ones, so

that a gradual, smooth curved support extends from top to bottom of a composite heel structure having two or more of the units superimposed one upon the other. i

In a preferred form, the pre-formed heel units I2 are of matted fibre, or other suitably stable and durable cushioning material. I have found relatively highly compressed, felt to be practicably and effectively usabley in needed heights ofV heel. By making eachunitfof` theorderf of one; `eighth to `onehalf inch in thickness, and'nish'# ing its edges with a fabric or other binding I4,y which serves also `to'stabilize the margin portions of a unit, a plurality of the units may be combined to produce a satisfactorily stable heel of -a desired height, which may have a cushion effect in use superior to prior heel structures of which I have knowledge. The binding may be cemented to' upper and under margins of the unit,` or may be stitched through the -unit,` as indicated at I B.; Andit is an importantffe'ature that 'the .binding of different units maylhave contrastinga'spect as indicated inFigure 5..' l Ifa materialis used` for the units' I2 which can have its edges inished, without being bound, I` prefer to roundthoseedges slightly so that,

when two or moreunits are ,assembled in superimposed relation, each line of cleavage fof units will be characterized by a`- prominentgroovegl extending. aroun'dthe heel, Y i When assembling theheel units novel and distinctive aesthetic as well asstructural eiects may be attained by a stepfarrangement of the `units as suggested in` Figure 5.- Obviously this vs'tep'f effect might be carried around'the heel by forining the units successively smaller or larger. 'I he sanieidea may be carried still further by alternating units of smaller and larger heel curvatures.

I claim as myinve'ntion: l V l. A heel `for footweargfcomprising a plurality of sheet-form heel'units individually pre-formed and individually finished by l'afbindingstr'ipfsecured to the margins of upper and under faces of each unit and covering the edge portions of the unit, said units Vbeingfsecured together `in super-- imposedrelationuto provide a composite heel.Vv

A heel for footwear as in claim 1,.wherein the said sheet-form heel units are pref-formed'of matted fibre material; and whereinedges of the respective units Vare individually covered Wltha binding strip which extends inward over the margins of upper and underfaces of the unit.v

3. A heel for footwear as in claiml, wherein` the said sheet-formheel units are pre-formed of matted bre material, andwherein edges of the respective units are individually covered with a binding strip'which extends inwardiover the margins of upper andunder faces of `the unit, andV Ywherein the'binding strips of different units are 'i0 of contrasting aspect. l i 4. In a shoe or theglike, `a. plurality of sheetform heel units individually pre-formed and individually finished along an' edge by a 'binding strip coveringsaid edge and securedto the margins of upper and underfaces of the'funit said units being secured ,together in superimposed re-` lation'V to constitute a Acomposite heel body for i the shoe, and extendingforward as an arch support at the shank of the shoe.

5. Aresilient heel for shoes and the like, comprising4 a plurality of sheet-form),` matted bre heel units individually pre-formed and individu-V ally stabilized by a binding strip-secured to-:the

margins of upper and under faces vofthe unit" and covering` the edgeiportions of the unitat the surface ofthe compositetlieel;4 said units being furtherstabilized by being cemented superimposed relation. t C;

6. Aheel for, footwean-comprising a. plurality of sheet-form heelfunits individually pre-formed of resilient materialand individually finishedalong an edge .by a binding stripffcovering said edge and secured totheamargins of upper and` under faces of the unit;` said units being secured together in superimposed relation" toconstitute a composite heel foralshoe,A and having a lportionH extending forwardfor-constituting an arch supportat the shank of a'shoe.

together 1in z 7L A- heel for footwear asin claim uf'swherein'theu` l said sheet-form heel-unitsarepreformed of mattedbre material, andwherein'the said portion extending forwardv is approximately wedgeshaped,for fitting the shank ofa shoe.

8.- A heel for footwearas in claim 6, wherein the saidsheet-form heel units are of different lengths progressively throughthe `height of the composite heel, with the longer unit adjacent to the tread element of the heel.

9. A heel forrfootwear as inV claimcfwherein the said sheet-form heel units are 'pre-formed of resilient material. i

' t ROY MALING. 

